Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records, she is noted for her songwriting, five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whistle register. An influential figure in popular music, Carey is credited with influencing vocal styles, merging hip-hop with pop through her collaborations and popularizing remixes. She has also been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas" for the enduring popularity of her holiday music, particularly the 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which is the best-selling holiday song by a female artist.
Monique Angela Hicks, known mononymously as Mo'Nique, is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Grammy Award.
Essence is an American monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women.
Andre Walker is a hairstylist from the United States who has won seven Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for his work on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He is best known for being the personal hairstylist of Oprah Winfrey and for creating Halle Berry's signature short pixie haircut. Other celebrity clients of Walker's have included Barbara Bush and Michelle Obama.
Marcellas Reynolds is an American actor, author, documentarian, and television host. His notable television appearances include Access Hollywood, E! Live from the Red Carpet, The Bold and the Beautiful, Supreme Models, and Yes, Dear. Reynolds began his television career in 2002 on CBS's hit television series Big Brother season three, becoming the first openly gay black man cast on a major network reality series. His writing has appeared in Chicago magazine, Essence, The Guardian, and L.A. Style Magazine. Reynolds is the author of Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion and Supreme Actresses: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Hollywood, Supreme Sirens: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Music, and the executive producer of Supreme Models, the documentary.
Camara DaCosta Johnson, better known as Yaya DaCosta, is an American actress and model. She was the runner-up in Cycle 3 of America's Next Top Model. DaCosta eventually went to star in ABC's daytime drama series All My Children (2008), ABC's comedy-drama Ugly Betty (2009), and NBC's medical drama Chicago Med (2015–2022).
Karrine Steffans is an American author, most notably of the Vixen series of books. She has worked as an actress and as a video vixen, having appeared in more than 20 music videos. In 2007 and 2008, Steffans visited a number of college campuses to speak about her involvement in the hip hop industry and its expectations of women.
Harriette Cole, is a life stylist, author, nationally syndicated advice columnist, motivational speaker, media trainer, magazine editor, lifestyle writer, wife and mother.
Ken Pavés is an American hairdresser. He has worked as hair stylist for many celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Carmen Electra. As an entrepreneur he has collaborated with Jessica Simpson and Karen Marie Shelton, and markets his own line of hair products. He is a spokesperson for the Operation Smile charity.
André Leon Talley was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine. He was the magazine's fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, its first African-American male creative director from 1988 to 1995, and then its editor-at-large from 1998 to 2013. Often regarded as a fashion icon, he was known for supporting emerging designers and advocating for diversity in the fashion industry; while the capes, kaftans, and robes he wore became his trademark look. Talley also served on the judging panel for America's Next Top Model.
Oprah Gail Winfrey, also known mononymously as Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century and was once the world's only black billionaire. By 2007, she was often ranked as the most influential woman in the world.
Good Hair is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Jeff Stilson and produced by Chris Rock Productions and HBO Films, starring and narrated by comedian Chris Rock. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2009, Good Hair had a limited release to theaters in the United States by Roadside Attractions on October 9, 2009, and opened across the country on October 23.
Donna Marie Britt is an American author and former syndicated newspaper columnist, reporter and critic. Her first book, Brothers : A Memoir of Loving and Giving, was published in 2011 by Little, Brown and Company.
Beverly "Bevy" Smith is an American television personality and business woman. She is best known for her work as a co-host on Bravo's fashion-themed talk show Fashion Queens. Smith is the creator of "Dinner with Bevy", a dinner party series in which she brings together people from across entertainment, fashion and media.
Cheryll Y. Greene was an American editor and scholar. Her work focused on history, culture, and social justice issues. She served as executive editor of Essence magazine and was involved in major projects about the life and times of Malcolm X.
Rita Hazan is a hair colorist known for her work with celebrities, and is the owner of the Rita Hazan Salon in NYC.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey is a memoir by Mariah Carey, released on September 29, 2020. It was written with Michaela Angela Davis, and was published by Andy Cohen Books, an imprint of Henry Holt, as well as in an audiobook format read by Carey herself on Audible. The book navigates the complex racial, social, cultural and familial tensions associated with Carey's upbringing as a biracial woman in Long Island, New York. This is framed alongside first-hand descriptions of the singer's personal and professional triumphs and struggles, and is interspersed with fragments of Carey's songwriting output.
Farah Zeb Khalid also known as Farah X, is a Pakistani American director and editor. She is known for her work on the documentary film The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion.
Ib Kamara, also known as I.B., IB, or Ibrahim Kamara is a Sierra Leone-born, London-based fashion journalist, stylist and creative director who, in January 2021, was named editor of Dazed magazine.
The Hair Tales is an American docuseries aired on Hulu and the Oprah Winfrey Network. It was co-created by Tracee Ellis Ross, who also hosts the series, and Michaela Angela Davis. It explores the significance and history of Black hair. It premiered on October 22, 2022.
